Tag Archives: balance

I am in such a good mood because today I am pigging out with Lisa and then TOMORROW I will be at my (surprise!) college for accepted students day:) And meeting all of my new girls. So so excited.

I am starting you off with an “inspirational” Jillian Michaels quote. If you are as obsessed with BL as I am, holla @ me.

“I’m gonna burst a blood vessel in my eyeball…I’m going to burst a blood vessel in my eyeball because of YOU.”

– (the great) Jillian Michaels

Hahahaha.

Don’t make Jillian mad. Get yo burn on, people!

Oh and to clear it up, I am not at the beach🙂 Hahaha it was a picture my grandma sent me to make me jealous. Well it worked.

Recently a few readers have asked how I keep an active lifestyle while balancing my life as a student. So I figured, what’s a better topic when I’ll be going to college in the fall?! (any guesses as to where that is?! I may..or may not…tell you if you’re right)

Read on for my secret stash of how to stay sane (and hot) in times of overload.

Here we go!

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How to Fit in Fitness:

Don’t try to find time, make time. This works like a charm. When you’re looking for room in your day, you’re not gonna find it. Guaranteed. So, decide when you’re going to work out and commit to it. For example, I plan my workouts ahead of time and decide when and for how long I am going to do them. Working out right after school is perf most of the time, so I do that, come home, then eat dinner and do my work! Easy as pie, and endorphinified:) Other days of the week, I meet up with friends to go to spinning, kettlebells, BodyPump, or just to ride the machines for a bit!

Plan ahead. Get your work done ahead of time, or know when you are going to complete it. That way, when you’re blissfully sweating away, you won’t be having a heart attack over the stack of paper waiting for you on your desk:) ^^ Danggg son that kid’s got his work cut out for him

Eat well. Not only does this mean eat nutritiously, but prep your eats ahead of time so that when you’re a starvin marvin, you have some food on hand to tame your hungry beast. For example, smoothie ingredients (protein powder!) are great, and pre-made grains, beans, and pre-sliced veggies are perfect. Oh, and cookie dough bowls.

Get some sleep! Self-explanatory. Get your sleep, and you’ll have more energy and time to get your workout in.
^^ Don’t be That Guy.

Get creative. Run outside, do a BodyRock workout, a fitness or yoga/pilates DVD, whatever floats your boat:) Go to yoga if you’re feeling sassy!BodyRock eats insanity for breakfast.

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So there you have it! Get creative with your workouts, no excuses:)

See you tomorrow from my new COLLEGE! And with my new best friend roomie🙂

Yes, that activity that used to plague me with a wave of utter dread and anxiety – it has become something that makes me excited to wake up in the morning.

As the girl who used to push herself to the extremes just to burn 100 more calories, do just one more mile, sweat just a bit more…I’ve learned to take each day with a grain of salt.

Every day I feel better, lighter, stronger, more energized, and one step closer to my inner peace. With every step of my feet, I feel the ground lifting me up and propelling me forward, clearing my mind and giving energy to every fiber of my being, from my toes to the top of my head. It’s as though everything around me stops for a moment to allow me to be in myself, spend some time for someme time. There are no deadlines, to-do lists, or responsibilities when I’m running – it’s just me, my mind, and the ground below me.

I’ve learned to be more in tune with my body. I’ve learned to listen to my body; when it tells me I’m hungry, or when I’m not hungry; the importance of knowing when to take a rest day, and when to do a tough workout. It’s all a matter of inner harmony – when you treat your body well, your mind and your body don’t disagree. You begin to work like a perfectly-functioning machine, your body and mind completely in sync because you’re giving your body what it needs. And what your body needs is good treatment: quality nourishment and balanced exercise.

I may not be a marathon-runner or a triathlete, but every day my body is becoming stronger and building its endurance to take me to where I want to go. I’m certainly taking baby steps, but every day I feel the difference. It’s all in the balance.

What are your thoughts? Do you have something that has taught you about inner peace?

WORKOUT:

Today’s workout was a bit harder than yesterday’s; I decided to up the time running since 30 seconds longer didn’t seem to difficult. Plus, I had just gotten a lot of sleep, so I was up for a challenge! My workout looked like this:

I felt so good through the whole thing, and even started singing in my head and dancing along – I don’t like listening to music when I run, but sometimes the rhythm reminds me of a good song. Today it reminded me of Imma Be, so I was rockin’ out for one rep – don’t judge :).

By the end, I was plenty sweaty and so proud of myself. It was nearly impossible to wipe that grin off of my face – I had done 3 miles! This is the first time I’ve been able to do 3 miles at once since my pre-vegan days (more on that another time).

One small step for Katelyn, one giant leap towards my 5K! The days are slowly approaching…as of today, I have 11 more days left to train before my first race. Ahh! 🙂 I am so excited.

Anywho, after my run I was plenty hungry, and since I had slept in, my whole morning was pushed forward. I didn’t have my favorite brekkie today, but instead I had Lunch for Brunch. You see, it was still early enough to be brunch (about noon), but I didn’t have anything breakfast-y at all – so it was Lunch, but for Brunch.

LUNCH FOR BRUNCH:

Popped the pizza in the handy-dandy toaster oven and the nuked the rest (even though I hate microwaves), then dug in with hardly any mercy.

It was such a sunny, perfect day – can you tell? 🙂

After Lunch for Brunch, I showered and then got to the tasks at hand.

You may be wondering, “What’s the Hoodie Pile?”. Well, you should see for yourself.

Yes, that beautiful mountain has been sitting in the middle of my room for the past few days week. And I finally decided to clear out the top shelf of my closet to place them on, and in the process found a ton of old journals (dating back to when I was 8 years old..aww!) and a box of dried roses from when I was confirmed. I love going through old things.

What do you have in your “treasure trove”?

DINNER:

Then, it was time to make dinner! I was in the mood for squash (I love my orange vegetables), so tonight I made Spaghetti Squash Primavera with some asparagus, salads con avocado, and Quinoa.

Now, mind you, the Primavera was not very asthetically pleasing in the serving bowl, but on my plate it looked just like spaghetti! Tasted a million times better though, due to the fact that virtually any kind of squash will make my tummy happy.

Spaghetti Squash Primavera

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

EVOO

8-10 baby bella mushrooms, quartered or sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach

1 large tomato, diced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place spaghetti squash on a baking sheet/casserole dish (anything really works as long as its big enough) and cook whole in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, sauté garlic over medium heat in about 2 tbsp. EVOO for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté until they have reduced and mushroom liquid has seeped out. Cover and remove from heat.

Using an oven mitt, hold the squash with one hand and cut squash in half with a long, sharp, toothed knife – do not cut it bread-style, be a daredevil and stick it straight in! It cuts easiest this way.

Use a spoon to spoon out the seeds, then use a fork to coax out the “spaghetti”. Only the shells should be left when you are done.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add “spaghetti”, spinach, and tomatoes. Toss and cover, stirring every few minutes until the “pasta” has reduced slightly and has moistened up and cooked more.

After cooking and tossing for about 15 minutes, top with some vegan parmesan cheese, then serve and enjoy! 🙂

There’s really no way to go wrong with veggies in this recipe, so use whatever you have – broccoli, zukes, cukes, bell peppers, onions, anything! It would also be good with some marinara sauce, a bit of EVOO and salt ‘n peppa, or even some lemon juice. Let me know what you try! 🙂

DESSERT:

No meal is complete without dessert. Tonight, we finished the last few Chocolate Chip Cookie Cakes (sad face 😦 ), which were nuked (with love) for 1 minute and then devoured promptly (with care).

I love my ooey gooey goodness 🙂

Is your mouth watering yet? …You’re welcome! 🙂

Ahhh, time to go work on my summer reading! I got a giant wake-up call today when I got my schedule in the mail – and yes, I got every teacher I wanted with a perfect schedule of frees. I have 5th and 8th period free every day, giving me the best lunch period and the opportunity to leave school early or even go to work earlier every day (meaning coming home earlier!). Plus, on day 5 I don’t have class until noon. Oh, the joys of senior year 🙂

Hi!

Chef Katelyn is a blog dedicated to the lifestyle of finding health, happiness, and inner peace through eating, exercising, and living well. I believe that what we put into our bodies, how we use them, and how we choose to enrich our lives directly effect our health mentally, physically, and emotionally. I hope you find some this balance with me while I continue my journey every day :)